


A True Friend

by flightinflame



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Adorable Hank McCoy, Charles Xavier Needs a Hug, Charles Xavier in a Wheelchair, Charles-centric, Friendship, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Light Angst, Pietro Maximoff Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:55:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23012869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightinflame/pseuds/flightinflame
Summary: When his world had fallen apart, and Raven and Erik both had walked away, Hank had stayed. Hank who was kind, and clever, and far too good to be mixed up in the battles that Charles fought, day in and day out. Now, after Raven and Erik have left a second time, they're going to move on, and open the school once more.
Relationships: Hank McCoy & Charles Xavier, Pietro Maximoff & Charles Xavier
Comments: 16
Kudos: 59
Collections: X-Men Rare Pairs 2020





	A True Friend

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [KuhakuE](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KuhakuE/pseuds/KuhakuE) in the [xmenrarepairs20](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/xmenrarepairs20) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> Anything that involves school life and the relationship between Charles and Hank. Post-FC opening, Post-DoFP reopening, or any other point of time you'd like. Can be romantic or platonic.

Raven saved the president, in the eyes of the world. Erik left. Logan disappeared. Charles was taken by Hank for urgent medical treatment. They either saved the world, or they didn't. They either managed to change their future, preventing their demise, or they failed and the clock was still ticking down. 

From inside, there was no way of knowing, not until they reached a later point and found that everything they feared had not come to pass. All they could do was have hope.

Charles had run out of hope before, but he wasn't running out again. His people needed him, and he couldn't shy away, no matter how hard life got. He would rebuild the school, find a way to make things flourish once more. For too long he had blocked out the noises of life around him, been distracted by his desire to find silence. 

Running a school wouldn't be easy. Not because of his disability, but because he wasn't entirely sure how he would manage a house full of screaming children. It had been full of hope at first, before the war. But the outside world had reached in and dragged his children from the sanctuary, and left him afraid. He would have to defend them. He would have to prove the school's value, protect those within, keep them safe from the monsters without. 

He would never be able to do it alone.

He didn't have to face it alone. When his world had fallen apart, and Raven and Erik both had walked away, Hank had stayed. Hank who was kind, and clever, and far too good to be mixed up in the battles that Charles fought, day in and day out.

He glanced over at Hank, who was currently busy working on preparing dinner for the two of them, tapping his pen on the table.  
"Do you honestly think we can do this?"

"Charles..." Hank began, crossing over and resting one blue hand on Charles's shoulder. "You live for this. You care more about your students than any other teacher I know, and more than that, you're good at it. You help them with their powers. You need to embrace it Charles, you need to put that to use. Do you think you can try?"

Charles hesitated.  
"If I start going down that path again, will you warn me?"

"I'll try." Hank answered honestly. "If you go down that path, it's unlikely you're going to let me stop you. But I will do what I can to try and keep you out of trouble."

"Just the two of us at first? We can hire more teachers..." Charles managed a wistful smile. "Shame Logan isn't here, he might have been good for some kind of sport with them."

"You don't think I'd manage?" Hank asked, a fond smile on his face. "I can be quite athletic in this shape, you know that."

"Hanging off of lighting fixtures doesn't count." Charles argued, crossing his arms and trying to hide a fond smile. "No, I think at first we can cope. Bring in a few students, prove that we can do this - and then hire some professionals. Mutants if we can find them. I want the children to feel safe."

He could feel the joy in Hank's mind. He glanced up at him, and when Hank gave an answering nod he pushed in a little, feeling the relief that swirled through him at the fact that Charles was willing to try, to work with him and make progress. He smiled.  
"I wouldn't have got here without you, Hank."

Hank opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again at a knock to the front door. A quick exchange of glances made it clear that neither of them was expecting a visitor. Charles reached out, but he couldn't follow the mess of thought that was outside. It was clearly a mutant standing on his doormat but he couldn't follow what was happening in their head.

He wheeled to the front door, letting Hank open it. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to find outside. 

Waiting for him, staring up in shock, was the silver-haired mutant that Logan had directed them to. The one that had looked through his wallet, and found the card with his address.

He bit back a groan, moving to the side.  
"You should come in. Are you alright?"

There was a rush of air, and for a few moments there was silence, until the youth was standing in front of him again.  
"This place is huge," the boy began, bouncing from foot to foot. "Look, mum said I should come here for some answers, and I was reading around and people say this place was a school for mutants. And if it is, well... I want to learn. I got thrown out of all my other schools, but mum says maybe you're dumb enough to have me." His grin faltered a little as he realised he'd said the last bit out loud. "And... I saw what happened. I saw what... what that guy we rescued did, and..."

"You deserve answers," Charles agreed, leading him to his office, and sending Hank the mental reassurance that he would be able to handle this. "I am happy to give you those I can. Now, first question, is it alright if I show you?" he tapped his forehead, and the boy looked at him, then glanced at the chair, and then nodded.

"You got it back then?"

"I did," Charles agreed, pushing forwards the knowledge of what had happened. He was met by a particularly insistent thought, one that was bouncing around the boy's brain no matter how fast he tried to outrun it.

_I'm Magneto's son._

"Regardless of...of if that's true," Charles reached out and squeezed his hand, breaking the mental contact. "You are welcome here."

"Oh? You mean it? Like, this is actually going to be a school and... you might let me in? I can't promise I'll be a good student I'll probably be a terrible student I get bored-"

"We'll see what we can do," Charles offered. "There must be a way of helping you, your brain is just a bit different from other people's, but we can work with that." He pulled away from the contact, but continued to smile, and Peter smiled back.

"Look, there are some student rooms on the third floor. Why don't you go and settle in, and I'll let Hank know you're here and call you for dinner, and then tomorrow I can start to research other potential students."

Peter nodded, zipping off, and then returning.  
"Thank you. You might regret it but I'll try to make sure that you don't?"

"That's all I could ask." Charles said softly. "Thank you."

"That's okay. The rooms look nice by the way. I think I've found a good one, I'll go crash out for a bit."

With that, Peter was gone, and Charles took a few slow breaths. Before the knock on the door, his thoughts about reopening the school had been theoretical. It was something he had wanted to do, but he hadn't been sure. And now there was a pupil on their doorstep, and he couldn't turn him away. Which meant he was going to have to teach him.

 _Hank?_ Charles asked, his mind desperate, and Hank sent back an instant wave of comfort, promising that he was on his way. The door to the office opened, and Hank stepped inside.

"What's wrong?"

"I... I think I'm going to be starting by teaching Erik's son..." Charles explained. He felt twisted up inside, uncertain of his own abilities and sure that he had to get it right. Before he could spiral any further, Hank walked over to him and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"You can do this, Charles. We'll have dinner, and then tomorrow, we're going to start towards opening the school."

Hank made it all sound so simple. As though it would be something manageable. Charles hoped he was right, but he knew that with the support of his oldest friend he was going to have a chance. The two of them could fix his dream, and Peter would be the first student of many.

He was still a little afraid, when he called Peter down for dinner. But he knew that now, he had a reason to hope. They could do this together.


End file.
